


Java Jace's Jimon

by Takara_Phoenix



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mundanes, Bakery and Coffee Shop, Coffe Shop Owner Jace, College Student Simon, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Izzy ships Jimon, Jace Feels, Jace bakes, Jace doesn't know how to deal with feelings, Java Jace, Lightwood Musketeers, M/M, Maia and Jace are Bros, Mutual Pining, Past Child Abuse, Patient Simon, Protective Alec, Simon Takes Care of Him, Simon is a Saint, Slash, Sweet Simon, Valentine's A+ Parenting, sick jace, so much pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 17:21:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11948994
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takara_Phoenix/pseuds/Takara_Phoenix
Summary: When Simon's best friend and roommate Clary starts working at a coffee shop close to campus, it becomes the new default hang-out for their group of friends.The coffee and baked goods are not the best about the shop though. Not even the awesome new friends they make. No, if you were to ask Simon, the very best was the owner. It didn't take long for Simon to develop a giant crush on Jace.





	Java Jace's Jimon

Jimon || Shadowhunters || Jimon || Java Jace's Jimon || Jimon || Shadowhunters || Jimon

Title: Java Jace's Jimon – Coffee and Drama

Fandom: Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments

Disclaimer: All rights to the Shadowhunters reserved to Ed Decter, the books the Shadowhunters is based off and its characters belong to Cassandra Clare. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.

Warnings: shounen-ai, past child abuse, hurt/comfort, fluff, hetero

Main Pairing: Simon/Jace

Side Pairings: Magnus/Alec, Raphael/Isabelle, Bat/Maia

Shadowhunters Characters: Jonathan Christopher 'Jace' Wayland, Magnus Bane, Alexander Gideon 'Alec' Lightwood, Isabelle Sophia 'Izzy' Lightwood, Clarissa Adele 'Clary' Fray, Simon Lewis, Lydia Branwell, Raphael Santiago, Maia Roberts, Bartholomew 'Bat' Velasquez

Summary: They met through Jace's coffee shop near campus. Simon cherished the friends he had made at that coffee shop, but the one he cherishes the most is Jace himself; not that Jace knows that.

**Java Jace's Jimon**

_Coffee and Drama_

When Simon had signed up for college, he had been excited. More than just excited, he had been over the moon and back. An art-school in New York, signing up together with his oldest and best friend Clary. The two of them shared a small apartment near campus. It was exactly how Simon had pictured and planned it. Simon was studying his passion, his music, while Clary was studying her own passion, art. The two were going to forge their own paths, together.

Clary got a job at a local coffee shop that was just between their apartment and campus. Java Jace.

And that shop, that shop had changed Simon's life forever. Not that Simon would have guessed that when Clary first told him about the job she got. With her employee discount and the fact that he wanted to see his best friend, they started to hang out there a lot, even when she wasn't working.

It took Simon about two days flat to irredeemably fall for the shop's owner. And it was absolutely not his fault. Jace Herondale was perfection. Simon was sure that Jace was like the prettiest person on this entire planet. With that large smile that could light up the entire store, the way it would make his incredible, mismatched eyes sparkle gleefully, how his golden-blonde hair would fall into his face in that cute way that made Simon want to lean in and brush it out so he could continue staring into Jace's eyes. Which all sounded so cheesy, but he just loved rom-com movies and when he looked at Jace, he felt like he had found that one person he'd do every ridiculous thing possible for.

But meeting Jace wasn't the only good thing that came from Clary's new job. They met Alec and Isabelle, two of the regulars at the shop, and their significant others. Alec's boyfriend Magnus was studying to become a fashion designer, while Isabelle's boyfriend Raphael was also in the music department. Then there was Alec's best friend Lydia Branwell, who was studying to become a movie director, as well as Clary's colleague Maia, who traded so many insults with Jace that it sometimes made Simon wonder why Jace had never fired her before. Only for Alec to tell him, with a total deadpan, that Jace _regularly_ fired her, just for her to flip him the bird and continue coming in to work. Apparently, insults and rude gestures were just how Jace and Maia worked. Which was cool, weird but cool. And Simon really liked Maia; Maia and her boyfriend Bat, who was such a love-sick puppy for Maia and spent a lot of time just staring at her dreamily. He was also in the music-department and shared some classes with Raphael and Simon.

"He's making that face again", pointed Isabelle out, throwing a piece of muffin at Simon.

Simon startled. He was sitting with Isabelle, Raphael and Bat, working on a project with Raphael and Bat. Raphael had one arm around Isabelle's shoulders as the girl smirked knowingly at Simon. Bat snorted amused, Maia leaning down to peck his cheek gently while putting their orders down.

"I—I have no idea what face I'm making. I only have that _one_ face", huffed Simon offended.

"The face you make when you daydream about Jace", supplied Raphael without looking up.

"Everyone knows that face. You've been making that face for months", added Bat cheerfully.

"Ye—es. That's the face", agreed Isabelle smugly.

"I hate you people", declared Simon with a deadpan. "I hate you all."

"And that attitude is why you will never work at my establishment", declared Jace lightly as he approached them with a batch of freshly baked strawberry cupcakes. "Too negative. You'd chase the customers away. So glad your better half also got better manners."

Simon huffed offended and took two cupcakes. "I'm not chasing customers away. Those are Raph and Izzy. It's like impossible to chase _them_ away. Same goes for Bat, he's just here for Maia."

"Free cupcakes. Why would I _ever_ leave?", asked Isabelle with a bright smile.

"Okay, I take it back. Do chase them away, they'll ruin me", grunted Jace.

" _Rude_ ", gasped Isabelle offended. "Why do we put up with him?"

"...The free cupcakes", supplied Bat around a mouthful of cupcake.

/break\

Jace's smile was the brightest, most beautiful thing that Simon could picture and when he laughed, it was a more amazing sound than any music Simon could _ever_ compose. And saying things like those was why Maia, Bat, Raphael and Magnus kept rolling their eyes at him and Isabelle kept throwing baked goods at him – but Simon would live through it. At least Clary supported him. Good, loyal Clary. He knew he could always count on her, regardless of how 'insufferable' he was according to the others. She'd just smile at him knowingly and with a hint of pity.

"So, how come you're not just, you know, asking him out?", asked Maia, popping her pink gum.

Simon stared at her wide-eyed and like she had completely lost her mind. Clary next to him sighed. Magnus on his other side heaved an even deeper sigh, both of them having heard this too often by now. So Simon had a little mercy on them both and cut the whole "Ten reasons why Jace Herondale is way out of my league and why I will not just ask him out" thing short.

"I can't just ask him out", declared Simon with a glare.

"Then serenade him", suggested Maia with a half-shrug. "You're a singer, after all. I'm 90% sure you have like a dozen cheesy love-songs written and dedicated to him."

"Y—You want me to just _sing_ to him? In _public_?", sputtered Simon wide-eyed.

"Yeah. It'll swoop him off his feet or whatever, just like in those awful movies you keep dragging us to", elaborated Maia with a wave of her hand while handing Magnus his tea. "There you go."

While Magnus nodded in appreciation, Simon huffed. "That only works because it's movies."

"Here we go again. Simon's list of ten reasons why", sighed Magnus a little dramatically.

"No. No, this isn't even about me!", exclaimed Simon, gesturing a little. "Those things work in those movies because obviously, they're fate defying eternal true loves. And like everyone involved knows it. But stuff like that is a real bad idea in real life." Simon paused for a short moment.

"For one, _yes_ , he is totally out of my league so I'd make a fool of myself in public and humiliate myself." Clary looked ready to object and argue him, again, but he was fast to continue.

" _But_ not just myself. If I'd do that and he doesn't feel the same, it puts him in a position like he's the bad guy just for rejecting me and no one deserves to be shunned just for being unable to return someone's feelings." That made Clary shut her mouth again and sit down with a frown.

" _And_ even on those slim, insane chances that he _does_ return my feelings... it'd be rude, pushy and totally humiliating to put _him_ so on the spot. Not everyone wants to be out, I don't even know if he is interested in guys, much less if he's _openly out_ about it. So I might end up pushing his boundaries and comfort there." Magnus frowned curiously at the amount of thought that went into this.

"And what if he like... _would_ actually return my feelings but _never_ considered that his feelings were returned? Then I would put him on the spot and _force_ him to make a decision right away, in public, without giving him any time to digest and come to terms with what is totally new information to him. Namely my feelings. I'd force his hand in public and that's... that's coercion, not romance."

Maia raised both of her eyebrows at him and tilted her head. "Damn. That is an awful lot of thought that you put into why _one_ particular approach to asking him out won't work."

"Believe me when I tell you, he put the same amount of thought into _all_ approaches of asking Jace out", assured Clary with a deadpan. "He's been shooting down ideas from me, Magnus and Izzy for months now. Just won't listen to a word we say. If he keeps pushing, Magnus is going to lock Jace and Simon into a literal closet until they kiss and make out."

All three of them turned to glare rather pointedly at Simon. Like it was his fault that Jace was perfect and so far out of his league, he was literally playing a different game. And Simon did mean literally. Simon was a musician, a creative guy who was seriously thinking he could get money for his passion, he was a little nerd and so awkward because he kept rambling when he got nervous. While Jace was so gorgeous, he had people come into his shop just to flirt with him, he was _so smooth_ that he could wrap anyone around his little finger with just a smile and a line, he was also a realist because he actually already accomplished having his own, working business – and obviously he used to be a jock in high school; Simon had seen the proof thanks to Isabelle (photos that still haunted Simon in his dreams because oh glorious abs and dripping-wet swimmer). They were opposites. Why would Jace even be _interested_ in someone like Simon? No chance in hell.

/break\

"This is your last one. I'm cutting you off."

"T—This isn't a bar and this isn't hard alcohol! It's a brownie!", exclaimed Simon offended.

Jace leveled a glare at Simon. "It's your _seventh_ brownie. I'm cutting you off."

With a miserable whine did Simon grab his plate and brownie to hide them from Jace. "No—o. Mine. My precious. Don't take precious away", hissed Simon in a very bad Gollum-impression before sobering up. "No, seriously. Don't take my brownies away. It is _not_ my fault that you're a genius and create chocolate symphonies. As a musician, I have to appreciate them! Have to!"

Jace huffed, rolled his eyes and turned away from Simon so the dark-haired boy wouldn't see the bright blush lighting up Jace's cheeks. Instead, Jace busied himself with the coffee order for Lydia. Jace loved being praised. Especially for his baking; he was proud of it, after all. And even though many customers did it, Simon had a particular way of doing literally everything. No, seriously. Jace had never met anyone like Simon before in his life. Simon was so happy and honest about it, while Jace always struggled with expressing his emotions. And Simon always cared and always knew how to express his care, how to help his friends. Something Jace admired.

Brushing his hair out of his face, Jace took the finished coffee and pushed it over the counter toward Lydia, who had one judgmental eyebrow raised. Sometimes Jace was pretty sure she and Alec were like another species that mainly communicated with judgmental eyebrows and sighs, while also being way too rational and logical. No, seriously, Jace was totally sure that was a thing.

Jace kept busy after that, all costumers served giving him a bit of time to focus on the chocolate-chip cookies he was baking. His eyes kept wandering over to Simon every now and again though. Simon had this carefree, happy attitude that was so _genuine_. Jace smiled a lot too and acted like he didn't care about things, but with him it was never _true_. He very rarely had genuine smiles to offer.

"Ja—ace, please tell me you have something with an overdose of chocolate."

Jace blinked slowly and turned toward Clary, who stumbled toward the counter. She looked worse for wear, her hair in a messy bun, somehow held up on top of her head with a couple paint-brushes stuck in it, there were paint-splatters all over her clothes and she looked in dire need of more than just chocolate. Either sleep or coffee. And considering she was here instead of at home, Jace hazarded a guess that she wanted coffee, so he went to work on her preferred choice of drink.

"I'm afraid we're all out of brownies", stated Jace nonchalantly as he eyeballed Simon pointedly. "But the cookies are as good as done. Just hang in there a little longer."

Clary gave a pitiful groan and collapsed on the chair next to Simon. She sighed and leaned her head against Simon's shoulder. Simon casually patted her back while still being focused on the papers in front of her. Jace's heart clenched. The two weren't very PDA heavy – thank the heavens and all angels watching – but they were so _casual_ when they touched. Totally in sync. They even finished each other's sentences. They were living together. The musician and the artist. The childhood sweethearts. Disgustingly cute. And Jace _hated_ that he couldn't hate it. Because he loved Simon and he wanted Simon happy and as far as he could tell, Simon was happy. And after all, Jace knew that _he_ wasn't meant to be happy and he would never be able to make Simon happy, so things were better this way. Regardless of how often Alec would hit or kick him for saying things like those.

"How about I take over the counter and you go and take your break?", suggested Maia.

She inclined her head toward a displeased Alec sitting next to Lydia. When had he entered? Jace was normally far better at sensing when his best and oldest friend entered the shop. Sighing, because he knew Simon – and even more so _Simon and Clary_ – tended to distract him, Jace took off his apron and folded it before rounding the counter and nodding at Alec in appreciation.

"Come on. Let's go and grab lunch", ordered Alec as he patted Jace's back. "My treat."

"You are _the best_ person on this entire planet", groaned Jace as he heavily leaned against Alec.

Alec chuckled as he let his arm slip from Jace's shoulder to his waist. The two of them headed toward a bar not far away where there were cocktails and good food all around the clock. Not that either of those were the reason Alec was guiding Jace there, because the _real_ reason was the bartender. Alec smiled pleased as he leaned over the bar to kiss his boyfriend.

"Hey, love. Give Jace something strong. He got the mopey puppy-pout going on again. It requires day-drinking", declared Alec as him and Jace sat down at the bar.

"One of these days, you will either tell my _why_ he uses his mopey puppy-pout so often, or I will personally sign him up for an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting", stated Magnus curiously.

Jace glared at Alec in that _don't you dare_ way. He knew it might be unfair to make his best friend keep secrets from the boyfriend, but this was _Jace's_ secret and not Alec's. It wasn't Alec's to share and Jace wasn't ready to share it with anyone aside from Alec yet; much less Magnus who was actually friends with Simon. Alec? He wasn't close to Simon or Clary.

"Love drama. The usual", grunted Jace to give Magnus _something_.

"Ah, yes. That... book-club of yours, it must be quite... exhausting", chuckled Magnus teasingly.

Jace sighed softly and averted his eyes to stare into his cocktail. That was just another reason why he was so not a match for Simon. Simon was smart. Like, really smart. Jace? People didn't even believe him when he told them he was in a damn book-club. And just because he was a flirt, somehow everyone assumed that 'book-club' was a euphemism for sex. He knew he was promiscuous, but he wasn't that big of a slut, damn it. Simon? He probably ever only has had sex with Clary and the two probably like had gotten together in some super-romantic rom-com moment or something and everything was just disgustingly perfect. Jace emptied his glass.

"Slow down, tiger. You do have to get back to work", noted Magnus, both eyebrows raised.

"How did you two do it?", asked Jace softly, looking from Alec to Magnus and back.

"Do what?", asked Alec confused before taking a bite from his sandwich.

"How did you get together?", huffed Jace, greedily grabbing the cocktail Magnus handed him. "I mean, how do you _find_ someone? Who... feels about you the way you feel about them? It's not fair."

"Honey, that sounds more serious than your regular one-night-stands", mused Magnus curiously.

"Would it be vindictive of me to say 'Well, now you know how I felt'?", asked Alec dryly, all three of them knowing that there was no heat or serious accusation behind Alec's words, especially when his face softened and he grasped Jace's shoulder. "You'll get over your own Jace and then you _will_ find your own Magnus. Even if it'll take some time, Jace."

"I am so flattered at the part I play in this little analogy", chuckled Magnus amused.

"Shut up and bring me my own Magnus", grumbled Jace with a glare, arms folded on the bar.

He sighed and rested his chin on top of his folded arms. He was so pathetic. Never before had he been that pathetic. But then again, he had never met anyone like Simon before either.

"Are you _sure_ that yours is a Jace and not a Magnus?", asked Magnus tentatively.

"He's even worse than a Jace", snorted Jace and buried his face in his arms. "He's _straight_. And he's in one of those perfect, happy Disney-love-stories. _I_ stand no chance at all."

"...Are you implying that _I_ stood a chance with _you_?", asked Alec softly.

Though he was drowned out by Magnus' squeal. " _He_? Hold on. How do I not know about this?"

"Because I don't like to _advertise_ my sexuality and I'm not... as comfortable flaunting it around like you are", huffed Jace and averted his eyes. " _I_ have always been taught that it's wrong. So I prefer to focus on the... girl-half of my interests. It's just... easier that way. But this guy... he... gets under my skin like no one before him and I _want_ him but I know I can't have him and it's..."

"Maddening?", suggested Magnus gently, eyes softening.

"Yeah, that", nodded Jace and heaved a long-suffering sigh.

"Who is it?", asked Magnus, voice soft and sweet as he handed Jace another drink.

"Nope. Can't tell you", grunted Jace and shook his head. "And neither will Alec. I am not ready for the world to know, Mag. Especially not about... who."

"The world?", huffed Magnus. "I'm not sure if I'm to take this as a compliment or an insult?"

"What he means is that you're the center of our social circle", elaborated Alec.

It took Magnus a total of ten seconds to catch on. "Wait. It's someone from our social circle. But... there aren't exactly a lot of male individuals in our social circle aside from the three of us. Only Bat, Simon and Raphael. It's... How did you fall in love with Raphael?"

"What? No. Ew", grunted Jace and glared up at Magnus, feeling mocked. "I mean. His cooking? Yeah. But the rest of him...? Not so much. I'll leave that questionable decision to Izzy."

"Bat?", continued Magnus, earning a grunt. "...Simon? You're... in love with Simon?"

"That took unreasonably long", commented Alec dryly and raised one eyebrow.

"I swear, if you tell him, I will personally tear your tongue out and I don't care if Alec still needs that for kissing and unspeakables", huffed Jace with a vicious glare.

"Unspeakables? Oh my, you're adorable", chuckled Magnus and patted Jace's head.

"No. I'm _serious_ , Magnus", stated Jace, voice suddenly very soft and also very vulnerable in a way that Jace _really_ hated. "Please. I know you're friends with Simon, but this... These are _my_ feelings. They're not yours to meddle or play with."

Magnus visibly wavered at the effective, patented Jace puppy-pout. "Very well. I promise I'll not tell Simon that you're irredeemably in love with him. Which I totally should though."

"You should _not_ ", grunted Jace with a deadpan. "Really not. I'm not a home-wrecker, even if it'd be in my _power_ to do that. But I wouldn't stand a chance against what he and Clary have..."

For a moment, Magnus opened his mouth as though he wanted to say something, but then he closed it again. Jace frowned at that and emptied his third cocktail. Today sucked.

/break\

Magnus Bane was a man with a plan. A man with a challenge. To meddle in someone's love-life without meddling in their love-life and without telling the respective other that their love was reciprocated. What was the point of those silly idiots making him promise that kind of stuff?

Simon had made him _promise_ not to tell Jace or meddle months ago already. And now Jace too.

Alas, Magnus was nothing if not resourceful. He would find a way around this without breaking his promises. But he would be damned if he'd let those love-sick idiots suffer any longer.

"Simon, Clary. Just the two people I was looking for", declared Magnus brightly.

It was the next day and Magnus sauntered into Java Jace's to find Clary, Isabelle, Simon and Bat sitting at a table together. He smiled brightly as he leaned against the table, facing Simon.

"Uhm. I don't have a good feeling about this", muttered Simon skeptically.

"I just wanted to bring something to your attention", smiled Magnus.

"Now even I don't have a good feeling", grunted Bat in agreement.

"Oh, nonsense", chided Magnus, glaring at the two musicians. "It was just brought to _my_ attention that... certain parties in our little round seem to believe that the two of you are dating."

It took Simon and Clary some time to realize that he was talking about them. So endearing.

"Wait, what? Who? Why?", asked Simon surprised.

Magnus raised both his eyebrows in amusement and looked toward where Alec was sitting at the counter, talking to Jace. Simon frowned confused and stared intensely at Jace. After only a moment did Simon get up from his seat, closely followed by Clary and then even by Magnus, Bat and Isabelle behind them. Jace looked a little weary as they marched up to him.

"Magnus just told me", started Simon and in that split-second, Jace's eyes widened in pure horror and betrayal. "That you believe that Clary and I are _dating_? Why? Where...? No. No, we're not."

"N—Not...?", echoed Jace softly, surprised. "But... I mean, all the touching and the finishing each other's sentences? You guys are so affectionate with each other. I thought..."

"Not more than you and Alec!", exclaimed Simon, gesturing widely at Alec and Jace.

Magnus chuckled and sat down next to Alec, while Jace made a confused face. "That's different."

"H—How is that different?!", asked Simon, still gesturing. "Before I met Magnus, I was like a hundred percent sure that you were Alec's boyfriend! And _then_ , I was like eighty percent sure that you were in a poly relationship with Alec and Magnus until I actually befriended Magnus!"

"It's different because Alec's my _brother_ ", elaborated Jace, gesturing at Alec and then Izzy.

"...What?", asked Clary surprised, looking up. "But you have different last names and... uh..."

"And we don't look alike?", supplied Isabelle amused. "Or at least, Jace doesn't look like us?"

"Izzy's and Alec's parents adopted me when I was ten", added Jace reluctantly, shifting a little. "Herondale is my... birth family's last name. I took it after... well... My grandmother. I met her a few years ago. Didn't know she was alive and... I don't know." Jace paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't like to talk about my family situation, so I try to not bring it up."

Simon frowned and Magnus could see the hundreds of questions firing around in his eyes. But even Simon had enough sense to pause and _not_ ask them, because Jace was clearly uncomfortable. Instead, the bespectacled boy just looked at Jace with soft eyes, worry and curiosity in them.

/break\

Jace heaved a sigh and brushed his sweat-soaked hair out of his face. He was so not feeling good.

"Jace? How are the...", called Clary out before pausing. "Are you alright?"

"Peachy. And the cupcakes are nearly done", grunted Jace, breathing heavily.

Clary's worried voice had drawn the attention of the others sitting at the counter. Isabelle, Magnus, Bat, Raphael and Simon. They were working on a bigger project together; a musical. Isabelle, as a dance-major, was doing the choreography, while Bat, Raphael and Simon wrote the music and Magnus designed the costumes. They had decided to meet up to update each other on their progress before they'd have to head to their next classes. Raphael and Bat were already packing, having to go early. Magnus and Isabelle were under time-pressure too, they'd have at most another ten minutes.

"Holy shit, Jace, she's right", grunted Simon wide-eyed.

"You should go home, honey", agreed Magnus with a concerned frown.

"I'm fine", grunted Jace irritated as he turned around a little too fast.

Simon lunged forward and reached over the counter to grasp his upper arm and stop him from falling. Jace blinked blearily, staring at Simon in surprise. He took a deep breath, trying not to focus on Simon's hands on him, steadying him like that. He failed at it.

"You are _not_ fine!", declared Isabelle seriously. "And I'd be calling Alec to pick you up and bring you home if he wouldn't be with mother over the weekend. And I can't skip this class..."

"I'm not going home, Iz", sighed Jace frustrated. "It's my shop, I'm not..."

"He—ey, babe", said Bat extra-loudly, waving his phone at Jace a little. "So, Jace is _really_ sick. Can you come in? You and Clary, managing the shop on our own? Yeah? Great. Love you."

"...I hate you people", muttered Jace beneath his breath.

"I'll bring him home", offered Simon, looking at Isabelle before turning to Jace. "I'm so bringing you home. You nearly keeled over there. You'd probably get yourself run over by a car on your way home. No, sir. I don't have classes today, so I can stay the whole day and take care of you."

Jace hoped that the redness of his face from the sickness was going to cover for the blush he felt coming on from the mere thought of Simon taking care of him all day long. Maybe being sick wouldn't be _that_ bad after all? He heaved a defeated sigh at the united force of his friends' glares.

"Fine", muttered Jace softly. "Whatever. Go play nurse, Lewis."

His blush lit up even more when Simon came around the counter and maneuvered Jace to wrap one arm around Simon's shoulder and lean against the musician. Jace gladly leaned against the slightly taller boy, allowing Simon to support him. They made their way slowly toward Jace's place. It made Jace realize that Simon had never actually been to his place and nervousness kicked in.

"Uh. I... thanks for bringing me home", grunted Jace awkwardly. "I'll be fine from here on."

"Don't be silly, Jace", laughed Simon confused. "Gimme your keys."

"No, I'll be fine. Really", huffed Jace a bit embarrassed.

Simon frowned at him and slipped a hand into Jace's pocket on the search for the keys himself. Jace's blush intensified as he stared at the bold, determined nerd. Simon made a triumphant sound as he pulled the keys out and started unlocking the door. There was no way around this now.

It wasn't exactly that Jace was ashamed of his apartment; it was all he needed, he needed nothing more than what he had. He had consciously made the decision to invest his money in his store instead of in his apartment or living. And even though _most_ of the time, the shop was making good money, there were enough instances where things were going bleak, mainly during semester breaks when the students didn't come in for two months. Jace had found himself paying his girls from his own money during those months before. So investing what he had put aside into a bigger apartment wasn't really an option either. It was just that people had certain expectations of other people's apartments; Jace had already been to Alec and Magnus' loft, which was fabulous and homey thanks to Magnus, as well as the place Raphael and Isabelle lived at. Jace's was... void. Tiny and void. And he didn't need Simon to judge him on it, that was all.

/break\

Simon frowned as he looked around the one room apartment. There was one door leading to a small bathroom and the rest was all stuffed into a single room. The bed in the corner, the kitchenette in the opposite corner, a TV and a shelf where Jace stored his clothes. Really not much to go with. There were basically no personal items – none of the knickknack Clary and Simon had all over their place. There were two photos, one of an elderly lady and one of Jace, Alec, Isabelle and a little boy. Aside from that, there were only clothes. It was all very clean and well-sorted, but impersonal and like no one was actually actively _living_ in here. The place looked like Jace really just had it for sleeping.

"This is so not what I pictured your place to look like", admitted Simon with a frown while tucking Jace into bed. "I thought it'd be... chaotic. A real bachelor apartment."

"I learned pretty early to keep my space clean", shrugged Jace dully.

"What does that even mean?", asked Simon confused.

He was running an absentminded hand through Jace's hair, the blonde sighing pleased and snuggling up to Simon instinctively. Simon could feel himself blush at that. How was it that Jace was that cute, even when he was sick? This totally wasn't fair.

"My father", mumbled Jace, sounding not fully there. "He didn't like chaos."

"Yeah, mom scolded me for the mess that was my room too", laughed Simon. "All the time."

"He didn't scold me", whispered Jace, eyes looking dazed and far-off.

"Then what did he _do_?", asked Simon confused, adjusting to give Jace more room to lay.

Jace happily snuggled closer to Simon's warmth, head comfortably resting in Simon's lap. "Hit me."

It was said in such a small whispered voice, Jace's eyes closed, Simon was pretty sure that Jace wasn't even aware of what he had just said. Simon was frozen for a _very_ long moment, staring down at Jace until the blonde was deep asleep. It took Simon some time to manage and tear himself away from the sleeping angel in the bed and the awful revelation so he could start to work on some stuff. Soup, tea, check the medicine cabinet for something to help Jace through this, find another blanket for the shivering blonde, try very hard not to think about a cute, tiny Jace being beaten up by his father. Yeah, Simon was totally keeping busy here.

/break\

It was Sunday when Jace came to it again fully. His head was finally not feeling like it was filled with cotton anymore. He wasn't constantly hot-cold anymore and he was actually hungry for the first time in days. Sighing pleased, he stretched and turned to check where Simon was. The nerd had _not_ left Jace's apartment at all in the past three days, aside from once on Friday to buy groceries and meds for Jace but he had only gone out once Isabelle arrive to keep watching Jace while Simon would be gone. Jace's eyes softened as he peeked over his bed to find the sleeping musician on his floor, on a makeshift bed made out of pillows and blankets. Jace instantly felt bad as he realized that Simon had slept like that for two nights now. For Jace's sake. _That_ thought however made Jace's heart speed up and his cheeks flush darkly. The only two people who had ever taken care of him like that had been Alec and Isabelle. Why would Simon bother to spend three days on the floor just to take care of Jace because Jace couldn't take care of himself? It was baffling.

 _Why did he stay at my place?_ , texted Jace in utter confusion, needing an explanation.

Alec's reply was short and Jace could practically hear the annoyance. _Because he cares._

 _Yeah, but why?_ , asked Jace confused and settled back down in his bed.

 _Oh my gosh, how do you not catch on with that?!_ , asked Isabelle and he could see her gesturing wildly in frustration in his head. _I suggested taking over for him on Friday, when he asked me to come and watch you for an hour so he could go buy stuff. He said he'd be fine. He didn't just stay because he didn't have a choice or felt guilty, doofus. He stayed because he c-a-r-e-s =_=!_

 _Who cares _ ?_ , asked Max confused.

Jace rolled his eyes and turned onto his side to take a photo of the sleeping Simon on his floor before sending it to the _Lightwood Musketeers_ group-chat. Max and Isabelle didn't know about Jace's feelings for Simon, so he'd have to watch out for what he was saying.

 _Why does no one tell me Jace has a bf?! I swear, boarding school in France and NO ONE TELLS ME ANYTHING ANYMORE. I demand new siblings, you people SUCK!_ , complained Max.

 _NOT MY BF!_ , wrote Jace hastily, stumbling over his own letters in embarrassment.

 _Ttlly should be his bf_ , sent Isabelle at nearly the same moment. _But Jace sucks._

 _Iz, don't be stupid_ , chided Alec and for a moment, Jace felt fondness for his big brother flare up before Alec sent a second text; _There would be no problem if Jace WOULD suck._

 _You people suck AND are gross_ , texted Max.

Jace's ears were hot in embarrassment. Since when did Alec say stuff like that?! Magnus Bane was so not a good influence on Alec! Groaning softly, he covered his face with both his hands.

"Are you alright...? What's wrong...?", asked Simon sleepily, instantly alert at Jace's groan.

"My siblings suck", muttered Jace. "That's all. I'm fine. I feel... really a lot better."

Simon sat up and stretched, ruffling his own hair. "You do? Really?"

Before Jace could confirm, Simon reached up and rested a hand on Jace's forehead to check his temperature until he was apparently pleased. He offered Jace a genuine smile that Jace reluctantly returned. He rolled back onto his side to look down at the musician on his floor.

"Thanks for... for staying. And taking care of me", whispered Jace a little embarrassed.

"No problem", stated Simon with a blinding smile. "I wouldn't have left you on your own. I'm just glad you're feeling better, Jace. I've never seen you that out of it before. You had me worried."

"Sorry", hummed Jace and ducked his head.

"You don't need to be sorry for getting _sick_ ", snorted Simon before he paused, smile slowly disappearing from his face as he sobered up. "Unless... that's... something you're... used to."

"What?", grunted Jace confused, ignoring his constantly buzzing phone. Stupid siblings.

Simon gulped and sat up straighter. "W—When... When you were _really_ out of it, you said something. About how your place was so neat because you learned to keep it clean early on. Because... Because your father... hit you when you didn't clean up."

"Oh fuck", groaned Jace and rolled onto his stomach to bury his face in his pillow. "Just forget it."

"I'm _not_ forgetting that one of my most important people tells me that he was abused as a kid!"

Carefully, Jace peeked out from his hiding spot in his pillow to look at the determined dark-haired boy. He was one of Simon's most important people? His heart sped up again. Grabbing his phone, Jace got up from the bed, swaying for only a moment after having spent the past three days essentially in bed. Simon looked worried and confused.

"I—I gotta use the bathroom", grunted Jace lamely and fled into his bathroom.

Once he had the door locked and didn't have to look at the worried musician anymore, Jace sank down onto the toilet seat, staring at the screen of his phone. His siblings had sent a total of 46 texts in the short time he had been offline, most likely all teasing Jace.

_I fucked up. I said something about my father while I was out of my fucking mind with this cold._

_What did you say?_ , asked Alec and Jace couldn't help but picture him tensing up.

 _Dunno. Something about how my place is so tidy because he used to beat me up when I didn't clean up?_ , offered Jace, his frown deepening as he stared anxiously at the screen. _What do I do?_

 _Tell him the truth_ , suggested Max, making Jace question what his three siblings had been talking about while he had been gone. _He cares, right? You need more people than just Alec, Iz & me!_

 _What? No! Don't be insane!_ , exclaimed Jace, eyes wide. _He'll just start looking at me like a victim._

 _Jace, Simon srsly stayed at your bedside for 72 hours. He CARES. Whatever you do, don't lie_ , chided Isabelle. _Even if you don't tell him, just say that you don't wanna talk about it. BUT you really should. He cares about you, he deserves your trust._

Jace proceeded to glare at his phone helplessly.

/break\

Alec heaved a deep sigh as he watched and waited for Jace to sent something in the _Lightwood Musketeers_ chat. When he didn't for a long while, Alec clicked out of it to check a different group-chat that he had been added to a week ago by his boyfriend. _Jimon_. As in; Jace and Simon.

Creatively named that by Isabelle when she and Magnus had started the group-chat three months ago. Three months ago. Alec never thought he would actually regret not befriending Clary and Simon, but if he had, he would have gotten added to this stupid group-chat between Magnus, Izzy, Clary, Bat and Maia earlier. He would have learned that Jace's feelings were actually requited.

Then again. That wouldn't have brought Alec any farther either. He wasn't very good with feelings, not even his own, much less someone else's. He felt silly thinking about telling either of them that the other loved them back. It wasn't his place to say that, especially since Jace had made him swear not to spill the secret. Alec heaved a deep sigh and laid his phone down on his chest.

"Someone's looking frustrated that early in the day", mused Magnus as he slowly woke up.

Alec smiled lazily and turned onto his side to kiss Magnus. "Morning. Yeah."

"Care to share why?", inquired Magnus.

"Just check your WhatsApp", suggested Alec with another sigh.

He too lifted his phone to his face again to check the group-chat where Clary had been swooning about Simon not coming home the entire weekend because he had been staying at Jace's.

 _I think Jace is about to share something real personal with Si. Maybe they'll finally work it out_ , had Isabelle sent five minutes ago, sending Clary and Maia into a fangirl-fit.

While Magnus was getting caught up with the group-chat, Alec checked to see if Jace had sent anything more. He knew how sensible this topic was for Jace. Isabelle was right; if Jace shared this with Simon, the two of them could as well just set the date for their first date too.

"What's he about to share?", asked Magnus intrigued while burying his fingers in Alec's hair.

"Can't tell you. Sorry", sighed Alec with an upset frown.

"Ah. Not your story to share", nodded Magnus in understanding. "But is your sister right?"

"Yeah", nodded Alec. "If Jace really makes up his mind and tells Simon about that, then we can consider your... your plane flying. Or whatever you and Izzy use as a metaphor."

"Ship. Sailing", laughed Magnus with a smile and he kissed Alec softly. "You're endearing."

"I know. It's why you love me", huffed Alec, startling when his phone vibrated.

 _If he reacts bad, will you come over?_ , texted Jace and Alec could feel the anxiety.

 _Getting dressed right now. Would be over in five minutes_ , promised Alec.

 _Not even bothering with makeup! Would be over and even bitch-slab Si in 10!_ , promised Isabelle.

 _Dunno when the next flight leaves, but totally would be there ASAP_ , agreed Max.

/break\

"So, what's the verdict?", asked Simon lightly as Jace exited the bathroom.

"What?", grunted Jace confused.

"You took your phone with you. And you've been in there for fifteen minutes", elaborated Simon. "So I'm guessing you asked your siblings if you should tell me. But yeah. I mean, I get it. It's not just your secret to share, right? So... Did you get the okay from them?"

"It... It _is_ only my secret to share", sighed Jace as he sat down on his bed, motioning for Simon to join him up there instead of having to look down at the musician. "Look. If I'm going to tell you this, you need to stay quiet, okay? I don't know if I'll finish if you interrupt."

"Not a word", promised Simon, nodding anxiously as he sat down stiffly next to Jace.

"Okay", nodded Jace and took a deep breath, bracing himself for what he was about to tell.

"My parents died before I was born. This... mad man killed them, cut me out of my mother's womb and... kept me. I later learned that his own son had died and he... he stole me as a replacement. He's been... driven mad. Totally bonkers. He... He tried to form me into the _perfect_ kid. Every mistake I made, I had to pay for with broken bones and bruises. Everything. Always. Cleaning up after myself, school work, sports. Whenever I was less than perfect, he'd... he'd hurt me."

Jace gulped hard, trying to swallow the lump in his throat. Simon scooted closer, tentatively reaching out for Jace's hands, though searching Jace's eyes to see if it was alright. Jace nodded slowly and relaxed just a little when Simon held his hands gently.

"He died when I was ten. Got... mixed up in a _lot_ of shit, aside from murder and kidnapping and child abuse, so yeah", continued Jace after a moment. "That... That was when I was adopted by the Lightwoods. Though back then, we all still thought I actually _was_ his son. We only learned the real truth a few years ago, when my biological grandmother tracked me down."

Jace paused again and he found himself leaning more and more into Simon, seeking the warm, solid comfort. "It's why I could afford the shop, you know. I mean, I'm twenty-three. Does no one ever wonder how I manage to run and own my own shop already? I didn't know my grandmother for long... she... she died. And I inherited a lot of money from her. I bought the shop."

Simon nodded curiously, arms slowly sneaking around Jace's waist as he pulled the blonde up against his chest. Jace sighed softly, greedily snuggling up into the safety of Simon's embrace. This was exactly what he had needed. Just for Simon to hold him. No questions or pity, just Simon's arms tightly wrapped around his waist, pulling him slowly closer until Jace was comfortably leaning against Simon's chest, his head tucked under Simon's chin.

"It's... why I don't really like announcing that Alec and Iz are my siblings. It's not like I don't love them or am ashamed of being adopted, but... people like to _ask_ when they look at Alec and Izzy, who look so much alike, and then look at me... And then they ask questions. Questions I don't want to answer. I don't wanna think about... everything in my past. And I don't wanna tell people about it because then they'll look at me with _pity_. I'm so tired of pity, I got so much of it when I was ten. Oh, the poor little orphan. I'm just... so tired of thinking about it..."

"I get it", whispered Simon gently, nose buried in Jace's hair. "I mean, I don't _get_ it because I never... but I get that you don't want people to look at you and just see that. I don't mean... I mean, I... I'm sorry that you had to go through all of that... but... but it doesn't define you, Jace."

Jace took a shaky breath and closed his eyes as he buried his face in Simon's chest. "Thanks."

"Always", promised Simon. "I mean it. You're... You're important to me. I totally want to be there for you, Jace. I want to know about those things. I want to know everything about you."

"Why?", asked Jace with a frown.

"Because I care. I just said that, silly", laughed Simon, running a gentle hand over Jace's back.

Jace just hummed, not feeling emotionally – or physically, really – ready to get more into this. Instead, he opted for exhausted silence and enjoying this once-in-a-life-time opportunity of being hugged by Simon Lewis. He could swear that he felt the press of lips against his forehead when he fell asleep, but surely he must have been mistaken there.

/break\

 _He took it really well. He was... sweet about it_.

Alec stared at the text as though he was trying to break the cryptic message behind it. It had arrived more than two hours after he had asked them to come over in case of Simon reacting in a dumb way. Sweet? Sweet was strange. It sounded good, but how had Simon the nerd who always put his foot in his mouth managed to be sweet about this topic...?

 _Define sweet!_ , demanded Isabelle.

 _He just_ , started Jace, waiting a few moments before sending another text. _Held me_.

 _He held you?_ , asked Max. _And we're sure he's not your bf, Jace?_

 _Yes, sure. Shut up. Cheeky brat_ , fired Jace back. _He just held me in his arms. No stupid comments, no "I'm so sorry for you!" or "Poor you!"s. No questions about details._

 _Can we get back to WHY he's not your bf?_ , asked Isabelle. _You're pan. He's bi. He's cute. You're cute. Let's be cute together! It's a perfect match!_

Alec heaved a sigh and collapsed backward onto the bed until his head hit Magnus' stomach, making the future fashion designer grunt at the impact. "Alexander? Everything alright?"

"Ye—eah. Keeping secrets sucks", sighed Alec and rolled onto his side to face Magnus.

"Poor darling", smiled Magnus sweetly, playing with Alec's hair. "So they didn't work it out then?"

"They're both frustratingly dense", muttered Alec before looking back to his phone.

_Why do you keep pestering me, woman? I'm not his type._

Alec snorted loudly, gaining Magnus' undivided attention and making him curious enough to peek over Alec's shoulder, just to snort too. "Oh, that blonde angel is just precious. We'd have to spell it out for him to get it, don't we? How come he is that dense though? Simon's longing glances would only be more obvious if he had literal hearts emitting from his eyes..."

"Jace doesn't believe in love", replied Alec simply while watching the screen. "Not for himself anyway. He... doesn't believe that someone would _love_ him."

"That might just be the saddest thing I've ever heard", mused Magnus softly.

"You don't know the half of it, babe", grunted Alec as his phone buzzed.

 _What? You, Mister Fullofhimself, not being someone's type?_ , joked Isabelle before, a few seconds later, making an important realization. _Hold on. The only times you're NOT full of yourself is when it's actually important. Why is Simon important?_

 _He's not. Shut up, Iz_ , replied Jace defensively.

 _Jace has a cru—ush on Si—imon_ , teased Max.

Alec held his breath and stared at the screen for about two minutes. Nothing happened.

 _OHMYGOSHYOUDO_ , came Isabelle's text. _Wait. Seriously?! You DO?_

Jace went offline. Alec cursed beneath his breath and bolted off the bed. Magnus blinked.

"What... just happened, darling?", wanted Magnus to know.

"Max teased Jace about Simon and Isabelle figured out that Jace has feelings for Simon", replied Alec while dialing his sister's number and grabbing his jacket. "You know she can't keep secrets."

"Unless they're her own", hummed Magnus in agreement, also getting up.

"What are you doing?", asked Alec confused while trying to get into his jacket.

Magnus helped him and chuckled. "Darling, I'm coming with you."

"I love you", sighed Alec and leaned over to kiss Magnus.

Together, the couple made their way to Jace's place. On their way, Alec called Isabelle and basically begged her to keep things under wraps despite how much she was bursting to post a _Jimon shall be canon!_ in their group-chat. She was pouting and he now owed her about five dinners, but she agreed. Under the condition that within this week, Jimon needed to happen. Now Alec – of all people – was supposed to work some kind of magic in the love-department.

"Jace?", asked Alec softly as he unlocked the door – because of course did he have a key.

"She's gonna tell him and he's gonna know and I'll have made a total fool of myself", muttered Jace.

Alec winced slightly. He knew how much Jace hated being vulnerable and in the blonde's twisted mind, being vulnerable and admitting to feelings would make people hate him, laugh at him, or give them the means to hurt him with. Most of the time, Alec really wanted to resurrect Michael Wayland so he could murder the bastard himself. Sighing softly, Alec sat down on the bed.

"Izzy promised not to tell anyone", assured Alec gently.

He watched from the corner of his eyes how Magnus went about cleaning up. Opening the windows to let some fresh air in, putting away the used dishes. Honestly, Alec adored Magnus. Even though he always had an opinion and most of the time also a piece of advise, he didn't push either of those onto others. He knew that right now, what Jace needed was less a chiding about being emotionally constipated but more a shoulder to lean onto. Especially since the blonde still felt a little hot.

"You should rest some more", suggested Alec gently. "It'll all be fine, Jace. You said Simon was sweet about things, right? I'm sure that if you'd tell him how you feel, it'd be fine too. And... Izzy kind of set you an ultimatum. You got a week to talk to him before she does."

Jace grunted, not answering, just burying himself deeper into Alec's embrace and falling asleep.

/break\

Simon blinked slowly as he was approached by a fidgeting Jace on Wednesday. Jace didn't fidget. Was this about the last weekend? Even Raphael, Isabelle and Clary looked up as Jace continued fidgeting and not saying anything. When Isabelle's face brightened, Simon grew suspicious.

"Jace? What's up, man?", asked Simon cheerfully.

"Can we... talk, Si?", asked Jace, motioning to the backroom.

"Uh... Sure", nodded Simon, growing a little nervous.

He got up and followed Jace to the backroom where the lockers and a table with a couch were. For a few moments, the two just stood opposite each other, Simon watching Jace curiously.

"Why... did you take care of me last weekend?", wanted Jace to know, head tilted a little.

"Because I care about you and you totally needed someone?", offered Simon a little confused.

"You already said that", sighed Jace, running his fingers through his hair. "I mean... Why?"

"Why what?", grunted Simon highly confused. "Why do I care?"

Simon froze when he saw the way Jace averted his eyes, as though that was actually what the blonde meant. "I just..." Jace paused and took a shaky breath. "My father... well, the man who abducted me anyway, he... hurt me. And he made me think that that was love. To love means to destroy. He'd break my hand and then tell me he'd love me and he'd do this to make me stronger. I didn't... It was the only love I knew before I moved in with the Lightwoods. A love that hurts. Alec and Izzy and Max and their parents were the... the first ones who told me about this whole... unconditional love stuff and that love doesn't have to _hurt_. And I just... I just..."

Simon's eyes widened and his heart sank. Jace didn't understand _why_ someone would unconditionally love him without wanting to hurt him. He genuinely didn't understand why Simon cared. For months, Simon had chickened out of telling Jace how he felt, mainly because the cocky, gorgeous blonde felt so much out of his league that he would never dare confess. But Jace wasn't like that. He wasn't as cocky as he pretended to be, he wasn't as happy as he pretended to be. All the things Jace had admitted to Simon, this vulnerable side he had shown Simon. Simon owed Jace his own truth and vulnerability. Taking a deep breath, Simon took a step toward Jace.

"I care because I love you", stated Simon, voice as firm as he managed. "And I love you because you're _amazing_ , Jace. You're... You're beautiful, I could just spend all day staring at you. You're funny and clever and cheeky and I could just spend all day listening to you. You're sweet and gentle and I could just spend all day _holding_ you. Your lips look so soft, I kind of want to spend all day _kissing_ you. I care about you. I love you. I love you so much."

Jace looked a little like a startled deer in the headlights and Simon reached a gentle hand out to cup Jace's cheek as he stepped some closer. "It's alright if you don't say it back. It's even alright if you don't say anything back, because this is... this is probably really sudden and surprising for you. But not for me, because I've been in love with you for months."

Jace continued staring at him like he was a two-headed unicorn or something. "And... I'd seriously want to kiss you right now. But it's okay if that's too much. I just... wanted you to know."

For a long moment, Jace stared at Simon's lips as though he wanted to kiss him, but then the blonde turned around and basically ran off. Simon had a very small smile on his lips. The way Jace had looked at him, Simon was pretty sure that Jace was not disgusted and shocked and had run off because of that. If anything, it looked more as though Jace had been hopeful. Like he was getting something he really wanted but didn't think he deserved it so he ran off before he could take it. And Simon could live with that. If Jace needed some time to himself to sort his thoughts, then Simon would be alright. Sighing, Simon exited the backroom, just to find Maia, Clary, Isabelle, Raphael, Bat, Alec, Magnus and Lydia all crowding around the door. Simon made a very unimpressed face.

"You three weren't even _here_ ", grunted Simon, motioning at Alec, Magnus and Lydia.

"Izzy texted us", replied Alec with a shrug, eyes on the front door. "What _happened_? He looked like he had a panic attack when he ran out. I'm just here because Lydia and Mag held me back from running after him. I swear, Lewis, if you hurt my brother, I will _end_ you."

"I told him that I love him", replied Simon with a squeak, very intimidated by Alec.

"Oh my gosh, finally!", exclaimed Isabelle the same moment Clary said "It's about time!"

"Then why did he run off?", asked Lydia skeptically, both eyebrows raised.

"Wait. You confessed your love and he ran off like a dick?", asked Maia with a glare.

"It's alright", shrugged Simon with the smallest smile. "He needs time to digest. That's fine."

"It is?", asked Bat surprised, searching Simon's face.

Simon shrugged again. "I get it. I get him. He doesn't... He has _issues_ and if he needs more than just two seconds to digest huge news like those, then I'm giving him the time he needs. I love him, I wanna be with him and I'm not gonna push him if he's not ready."

Alec continued staring at him and Simon felt reminded of all the different ways this sword-playing, hand-to-hand-combat-trained archer could kill him. "Good. That's exactly what I wanted to hear."

"Aw, you have the big brother's approval", cooed Clary teasingly.

"Shut up, Fray", grunted Alec and rolled his eyes before turning to Simon, lifting one threatening finger. "But what I said before, it'll always apply. If you hurt my brother, I _will_ end you."

"Y—Yes, sir", nodded Simon and gulped.

/break\

Jace was curled together on Alec and Magnus' bed by the time the two of them returned home. He stared with large eyes as Alec entered the bedroom and with a soft sigh, Alec went to hug him.

"You okay?", asked Alec softly, caressing Jace's hair.

"H—He said he _loves_ me", whispered Jace.

"That's what he told us that he said", laughed Magnus a bit amused. "Is that so hard to picture?"

" _Yes_ ", breathed Jace out, voice sounding strangled.

The amused smile left Magnus' face as he sat down on Jace's other side. "Come again?"

Jace frowned confused as he turned to look at Alec in a questioning manner. "You... haven't told Magnus about your fuck-up of a brother? ...Really?"

"It's not my story to tell, Jace", sighed Alec gently.

Sighing, Jace turned a little. He felt bad for his brother having to keep secrets on his behalf.

"My... 'father', he... used to beat the crap out of me", whispered Jace into Alec's shoulder. "And then he'd tell me that he loved me. And I... When I was ten, when I was adopted by the Lightwoods, I thought that was it. That was love. Being hurt. Being afraid. I don't... I know I _should_ have learned in the last thirteen fucking years of my life, but I'm fucked up, okay? I don't... I don't _get it_. This whole gentleness and patience and not expecting anything in return stuff. Alec and Izzy and mom and dad and Max, they're... it took them years to make me believe that they weren't going to hurt me. To abandon me. To give up on me. To expect something from me for their kindness."

Magnus raised both of his eyebrows before he lunged forward and joined their hug, wrapping his arms around Jace in a warm, protective manner. Jace sighed. He was glad Alec had found someone like Magnus. Someone who loved him that way, who supported him that way, who endured his family even when his siblings were being little shits. Magnus was great. Magnus was making Alec happy. Jace would really like to have someone like that too. Could maybe Simon be that for him...?

/break\

Simon and Clary were sprawled out on their couch, half-way into the first movie of their _Back to the Future_ marathon, when their doorbell rang. Simon frowned confused. It was Friday night, no one just casually dropped by on a Friday night. Normally, their friends had the sense to call before dropping by. Getting off the couch, Simon went to open the door.

"Jace", whispered Simon surprised as he opened the door.

His heart beat faster as he stared at the pretty blonde. It was Friday and Simon hadn't seen Jace since his love-confession on Wednesday. He had deliberately avoided Java Jace, because he didn't want to make Jace feel cornered and since it was Jace's shop, it'd be unfair. So Simon had lived off shitty coffee and suffered through Isabelle, Magnus and Raphael raiding Simon's fridge during their last meeting to work on their musical. The latter had gotten him into trouble with Clary, because Isabelle had eaten all of Clary's chili chocolate. So Simon had to buy her new chocolate.

"I'm sorry for running out on you on Wednesday", sighed Jace, offering Simon a basket – a literal _basket_ – filled with muffins. "I know you said it'd be okay if I didn't say anything, but it was still shitty to just run out on you like that. But I was so... so _overwhelmed_ , I guess."

"It's okay", assured Simon with a small smile. "I meant it. I want you to be okay. I want you to be... comfortable. With this. With me. Because I really do love you." He took the muffins. "Come in."

Jace followed Simon to the kitchen where Simon put the muffins down and then turned toward Jace, leaning back against the counter he stared expectantly at Jace. Simon did his best to look casual and careless, but on the inside he was freaking out. Had Jace come to a decision?

"You're amazing", grunted Jace, looking into Simon's eyes. "I... don't think a lot of guys, or girls, would have been that... patient and... considerate. I know it took me long to be ready to say this, and Mag and Alec and Izzy spent a lot of time talking me into this, but... I love you."

Simon's face brightened, even as Jace stared at him unsure. "That... That's great. I mean. I love you. You love me. Will that like, include dating and kissing then? Because I'd be down to that."

"I'm a _mess_ ", argued Jace as he slowly stepped up to Simon. "I'm not good at expressing my feelings and I'll continue questioning your feelings. I have... I still got nightmares and panic-attacks and sometimes, I lash out and am extra-hurtful just because I'm trying to keep people at a distance. I'm trouble and I'll end up hurting you and you're so amazing and sweet and kind and dorky and cute and you deserve to be happy with someone as sweet and uncomplicated."

"Jace", whispered Simon gently as he reached a hand out to caress Jace's face. "I love _you_. I'm not gonna wait around to fall in love with someone 'sweet and uncomplicated'. I want you. Issues and troubles and nightmares included. I don't care. I'll be there for you. Through it all. If you let me."

"I really wanna kiss you right now", declared Jace, biting his lower-lip hard.

"Then do it!", called Clary rather loudly from the living room. "Seriously! Just kiss!"

Both boys blushed before laughing a little. Simon gently pulled Jace closer and Jace grasped Simon's face to pull him down into a kiss. It was a bit awkward at first, but it was gentle and sweet. Jace practically melted against Simon as their kiss deepened.

"Wanna watch _Back to the Future_ with us?", whispered Simon once they parted.

"Yeah", laughed Jace, eyes sparkling brightly. "Yeah, that sounds perfect."

_~*~ The End ~*~_

**Author's Note:**

> I love patient, understanding Simon? So much? I mean, come on, we're talking about the guy who's been in love with Clary for ten years and waited until she was ready. He would so be the patient, understanding guy who'd give Jace all the time in the world to come to terms with his feelings.
> 
> Ah, and if parts seem familiar, then you're already following my tumblr and saw me tease a [sneakpeek](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/post/164517204241/the-lightwood-musketeers) of this last week! If not and if you'd like to be teased or read more about my upcoming stories, go and check it out; [takaraphoenix](https://takaraphoenix.tumblr.com/)


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